Thursday, July 30, 2015

More practice exercises! Dominant function is one of the most important concepts in the study of harmony, so it's important to make sure you understand it before continuing onward. So let's get started!

1) Identify all the dominant function chords in the following major keys:

2) Which major key does each of these chords have dominant function in?

3) Can you think of any ways to solve the problem of not having any dominant function in natural minor? What can we do to get that important dominant sound without losing our minor tonality?

Post your answers in the comments below or on the videos. See you next time!

Friday, July 24, 2015

More practice exercises! This time we'll test your understanding of syncopation. Post your answers in the comments below or on the video.

1) Are the following bass lines syncopated? Why or why not, and where does the syncopation occur? Some of these may be ambiguous, so it's more important to have a good reason for your answer than to get it exactly "right".

2) Let's look at anticipation and suspension. For each of the following progressions, do they feature anticipation, suspension, both, or neither? If they feature either, where does it occur? How can you tell if a syncopated attack is anticipated or suspended?

3) Write a syncopated rhythm of your own! If you play a pitched instrument, try putting a melody or harmony to your rhythm. If you have notation software you can write it out there and share it, but if not just tap it out on whatever surface is available. Try to get a feel for where your rhythm deviates from expected placement.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Hey guys! This is the accompanying practice exercise section for 12Tone. Totally optional, but it gives you a chance to try out some of these things for real, so give it a shot!

Today we're looking at Tonic Function. If you haven't seen the video yet, you can find it here. If you have, dive in to these questions! You can answer in the comments here or on youtube.

1) Identify the tonic function chords in each of these major keys:

2) Name the key in which the following chords have tonic function. Are there any chords that are tonic in more than one key? What do those chords have in common?

3) Identify the tonic function chords in the following progression. Do you notice anything about where those chords are placed in the progression? If you can, play through the progression on an instrument and listen for the tonic chords.